Beatrice D. Wade

Beatrice D. Wade, OTR, FAOTA (1903–1994), worked to advance recognition of and services
for people with mental illness. In 1943, she successfully petitioned Congress
to change eligibility for vocational services from "people with physical
disabilities" to "people with disabilities," which allowed people with mental
illness to be eligible for vocational and rehabilitation services. Wade also
fought to keep occupational therapy education and certification from being
taken over by physical medicine in the 1950s. As head of the occupational
therapy program at the University of Illinois at Chicago, she developed the
baccalaureate program, combining didactic education with clinical practice,
which became known as “The Illinois Plan.” Read Robert Bing’s article
discussing Wade. Read an obituary of Beatrice Wade.

The 100 Influential Persons were nominated by the public and OTArchive Editorial Board and were selected by the editorial board based on criteria included on the nomination form. Questions and corrections can be sent to OTArchive@aota.org.

the 100 influential people

In honor of the Centennial, learn about 100 people who influenced occupational therapy’s 100 year history.